Accusation ThreeThe Modern Illuminati

The Bilderberg Group

Some conspiracy theorists believe that the Illuminati never disappeared at all and that it merely became even more secretive and began to appear under other names. The most recent supposed example is the Bilderberg Group. The name comes from the Bilderberg Hotel in the Netherlands, where the group first met in 1954. The group was apparently the idea of several people, most notably the Polish politician Jozef Retinger. It was thought that there was a great deal of anti-American feeling developing in Western Europe and it seemed that this might be countered if a group of influential politicians, industrialists and financiers met on a regular basis, to discuss ways of promoting greater understanding and trade between Western Europe and North America. The first meeting was actually intended to be a one-off but it proved so useful that the Bilderberg group became an annual event. The group meets in different locations each time and delegates appear by invitation. The Bilderberg Group has a permanent Steering Committee, with a Chairman and other officers and it is presumably this committee that decides on each year's agenda and also hands out the invitations. Some of the most powerful individuals in the world have been associated with the Bilderberg Group but despite a great deal of controversy because of the way it handles its affairs, the BIlderberg Group has never allowed the press to attend any of its meetings and nothing is published regarding what is discussed - or why. It is assumed that such an eclectic mix of politicians, industrialists and financiars indicates that a great deal of long-term planning is taking place at the meetings, but this must be conjecture, since nothing is released to indicate what has taken place.

Is Freemasonry Involved?

There are plenty of people in the world who love to speculate that the Bilderberg Group was inspired by and is still run by Freemasons. It's an intriguing thought but unfortunately there is not a scrap of evidence that this is the case. Of course, over the years it is quite possible to find attendees of the various meetings who were Freemasons, but many more have not been. To take just one example. Ex Prime Minister of Britain, Tony Blair, is a regular attendee of Bilderberg meetings. It is known that Tony Blair is personally opposed to Freemasonry - and it also has to be said that his religious leanings make any involvement with the Craft extremely unlikely. Whether or not the Bilderberg Group represents an attempt at 'globalisation' or even looks towards the possibility of a 'One World Government' is up for discussion, but even if it is, there seems litte or no likelihood that it dances to a Freemasonic tune.

Is This Accusation Even Valid?

In all my years of research I have never come across anyone who can say, with any certainty, what the Illuminati is supposed to be, where its power rests and what its objectives are. Assuming it exists at all, it presumably seeks to do what was suggested when it first appeared - to break down conventional governments and to establish a newer and better form of rule based on human rights and democracy. Illuminism was a force of the 'Enlightenment' and was specifically created in the atmosphere of revolution that appeared towards the end of the 18th century and which engulged a number of states where absolute monarchy had existed since time out of mind. In these countries the vast majority of the populace lived as virtual serfs, with no political rights and certainly no semblence of democracy. In all but a very few countries in the world, everything the original Illuminati set out to do was long-since achieved. The accusation was 'Is Freemasonry Controlled by a So-called Illuminati, and in so far as no trace of such an organization can be found, it cannot be. The supposed modern versions of Illuminism, typified by institutions such as the Bilderberg Group, have dramatically different aims and objectives but even in this case there isn't the slightest indication that Freemasonry is involved at all.

VERDICT - INNOCENT. (As we will see, Freemasonry needs no Illuminati in order to further its own ends and strategies. )